North Jersey seniors take advantage of various educational opportunities

By SACHI FUJIMORI

STAFF WRITER |

The Record

Seventy-nine-year-old Edwina Hibel arrives 45 minutes early to her class on "Stuart England (1603-1714)." She wants a front-row seat. As a student at Bergen Community College's Institute for Learning in Retirement, the Paterson resident has shown equal enthusiasm for her courses on Shakespeare's "Macbeth," art history and Principles of Flight, where she was able to practice takeoffs and landings in a state-of-the-art flight simulator.

Seniors listen during a class at the Institute for Learning in Retirement at Bergen Community College.

"I've never stopped learning," declared Hibel, one of the first women to graduate from Fordham Law School, in 1959. "I think it would be a very dull life if you stopped learning."

Hibel is one of hundreds of senior residents in North Jersey who regularly take classes and attend lectures, not for credit or for professional advancement, but simply to learn.

North Jersey has a number of educational options for senior citizens at various venues: community centers, religious institutions, schools. Two of the larger programs are The Institute of New Dimensions, a non-profit organization that holds classes in Teaneck and Paramus taught by college professors, Ph.D.s and other experts in their fields, and Bergen Community College's Institute for Learning in Retirement, which is going on its 15th year and has some 800 participants who take courses taught by community volunteers and college faculty, with topics that range from Doo-Wop music to the Medici family in 15th-century Florence. Other courses offer practical knowledge — for example, basic home repair taught by a retired plumber, and this April, for the first time, senior advocacy.

Somewhat different is The North Jersey Public Policy Network (NJPPN), which hosts community forums on topics related to civic life, for participants of all ages. Recent speakers included Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig, a leading copyright law reformer and advocate against money in politics, and James Hansen, the nation's foremost climate scientist, speaking out on the dangers of global warming.

"It's like going to a TED talk right in our community," said Rosemary Dreger Carey, a freelance writer and River Vale resident who regularly attends NJPPN events. She adds: "You have the opportunity to ask questions and engage. It's not the same as sending Rachel Maddow a tweet."

For retirees in their 60s, 70s and above, returning to the classroom and participating in civic forums is, experts say, good for their gray matter. "There's a general understanding among gerontologists that the brain is like a muscle, you lose it if you don't use it," said Professor Emily Greenfield, an expert on aging at Rutgers School of Social Work. "Any kind of stimulation can prove valuable, as long as it keeps people thinking crucially and solving problems."

It is also good for seniors' mental health: Being engaged in classrooms and surrounded by young people on a college campus is much preferable to being isolated in a senior community center or their homes, experts say.

The seniors enrolled in the BCC classes come from varied backgrounds. Some are retired professionals — lawyers, judges, scientists, teachers — while others are homemakers who never had a chance to attend college. All have a willingness to learn and the time to do so. "We've spent our lifetime earning a living and raising children," said Janet Chertkoff, a retiree from Fort Lee who is both an instructor and student at BCC. "Now for the first time in our lives we have leisure and don't have obligations."

Chertkoff, a retired high school English teacher, leads a popular Shakespeare course each semester. This spring she's teaching "Othello" and expects the course will veer off into deeper discussions about race, ageism and class. Her students, she said, "have a lifetime of experience behind them. They're responsive, curious and in tune with what's going on."

Chertkoff's husband, Marvin, is also an instructor in the BCC program. This semester, he's teaching a course on "The Bible as Literature: The Books of Joshua and Judges." When not teaching, the couple like to take classes together. "It's fun," said Janet Chertkoff. "We discuss it afterwards. We're a generation that is pre-computer, pre-apps, pre-texting, we want people-to-people experiences. We want to talk, discuss and communicate."

For Elaine Fichera, of Wyckoff, who recently retired from a career in pharmaceutical advertising, participating in the NJPPN public lectures is helping her figure out her next move. While she enjoys collecting antiques and attending cultural events in Manhattan, she wants to get involved with larger causes. "I need to do something bigger," she said. "It keeps the brain alive. And there are too many things wrong."

A regular viewer of CNN, MSNBC and PBS and a newspaper reader, Fichera said attending the NJPPN lectures gives her more depth of knowledge. One of the first talks she attended was by Hansen, the climate change scientist. "He explained things I never understood before with charts, graphs and slides," she said. "It makes me want to get more involved, and be less apathetic."

Email: fujimori@northjersey.com

Correction

This story has been updated from an earlier version to correct the phone number for the Lois E. Marshall Institute for Learning in Retirement at Bergen Community College.

North Jersey seniors take advantage of various educational opportunities

Seniors listen during a class at the Institute for Learning in Retirement at Bergen Community College.

By SACHI FUJIMORI

STAFF WRITER |

The Record

Seventy-nine-year-old Edwina Hibel arrives 45 minutes early to her class on "Stuart England (1603-1714)." She wants a front-row seat. As a student at Bergen Community College's Institute for Learning in Retirement, the Paterson resident has shown equal enthusiasm for her courses on Shakespeare's "Macbeth," art history and Principles of Flight, where she was able to practice takeoffs and landings in a state-of-the-art flight simulator.

"I've never stopped learning," declared Hibel, one of the first women to graduate from Fordham Law School, in 1959. "I think it would be a very dull life if you stopped learning."

Hibel is one of hundreds of senior residents in North Jersey who regularly take classes and attend lectures, not for credit or for professional advancement, but simply to learn.

North Jersey has a number of educational options for senior citizens at various venues: community centers, religious institutions, schools. Two of the larger programs are The Institute of New Dimensions, a non-profit organization that holds classes in Teaneck and Paramus taught by college professors, Ph.D.s and other experts in their fields, and Bergen Community College's Institute for Learning in Retirement, which is going on its 15th year and has some 800 participants who take courses taught by community volunteers and college faculty, with topics that range from Doo-Wop music to the Medici family in 15th-century Florence. Other courses offer practical knowledge — for example, basic home repair taught by a retired plumber, and this April, for the first time, senior advocacy.

Somewhat different is The North Jersey Public Policy Network (NJPPN), which hosts community forums on topics related to civic life, for participants of all ages. Recent speakers included Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig, a leading copyright law reformer and advocate against money in politics, and James Hansen, the nation's foremost climate scientist, speaking out on the dangers of global warming.

"It's like going to a TED talk right in our community," said Rosemary Dreger Carey, a freelance writer and River Vale resident who regularly attends NJPPN events. She adds: "You have the opportunity to ask questions and engage. It's not the same as sending Rachel Maddow a tweet."

For retirees in their 60s, 70s and above, returning to the classroom and participating in civic forums is, experts say, good for their gray matter. "There's a general understanding among gerontologists that the brain is like a muscle, you lose it if you don't use it," said Professor Emily Greenfield, an expert on aging at Rutgers School of Social Work. "Any kind of stimulation can prove valuable, as long as it keeps people thinking crucially and solving problems."

It is also good for seniors' mental health: Being engaged in classrooms and surrounded by young people on a college campus is much preferable to being isolated in a senior community center or their homes, experts say.

The seniors enrolled in the BCC classes come from varied backgrounds. Some are retired professionals — lawyers, judges, scientists, teachers — while others are homemakers who never had a chance to attend college. All have a willingness to learn and the time to do so. "We've spent our lifetime earning a living and raising children," said Janet Chertkoff, a retiree from Fort Lee who is both an instructor and student at BCC. "Now for the first time in our lives we have leisure and don't have obligations."

Chertkoff, a retired high school English teacher, leads a popular Shakespeare course each semester. This spring she's teaching "Othello" and expects the course will veer off into deeper discussions about race, ageism and class. Her students, she said, "have a lifetime of experience behind them. They're responsive, curious and in tune with what's going on."

Chertkoff's husband, Marvin, is also an instructor in the BCC program. This semester, he's teaching a course on "The Bible as Literature: The Books of Joshua and Judges." When not teaching, the couple like to take classes together. "It's fun," said Janet Chertkoff. "We discuss it afterwards. We're a generation that is pre-computer, pre-apps, pre-texting, we want people-to-people experiences. We want to talk, discuss and communicate."

For Elaine Fichera, of Wyckoff, who recently retired from a career in pharmaceutical advertising, participating in the NJPPN public lectures is helping her figure out her next move. While she enjoys collecting antiques and attending cultural events in Manhattan, she wants to get involved with larger causes. "I need to do something bigger," she said. "It keeps the brain alive. And there are too many things wrong."

A regular viewer of CNN, MSNBC and PBS and a newspaper reader, Fichera said attending the NJPPN lectures gives her more depth of knowledge. One of the first talks she attended was by Hansen, the climate change scientist. "He explained things I never understood before with charts, graphs and slides," she said. "It makes me want to get more involved, and be less apathetic."

Email: fujimori@northjersey.com

Correction

This story has been updated from an earlier version to correct the phone number for the Lois E. Marshall Institute for Learning in Retirement at Bergen Community College.